Tuesday, May 19, 2015

If you’re stopped while driving a car, the police can use a dog to sniff for drugs around your car provided the search does not unduly prolong the traffic stop. But can the police use a dog to sniff around your house?

The answer is generally no. A dog sniffing outside your home is an intrusion within the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. The area immediately surrounding and associated with your home is called “the curtilage.” The exact dimensions of the curtilage depend on the facts of each situation, but if something is inside the curtilage, it falls within Fourth Amendment protections. Therefore, the police must obtain a warrant before bringing a dog to sniff immediately outside your house.

In State of Florida v Jardine, police used a drug-sniffing dog on a homeowner’s porch to uncover marijuana plants. The U.S. Supreme Court held the search illegal because it came uninvited within the curtilage of the home.

Following the Jardine rule, an Illinois Appellate Court refused to uphold a search where police had entered an apartment building through a common locked door that had been left partially ajar. The police used a dog to sniff for drugs outside the defendant’s apartment. (The state acknowledged the search was illegal after Jardine, but believed a doctrine known as the good faith exception applied because the officer relied in good faith on the law prior to Jardine. The Illinois court disagreed. See People v Brown.)

In another Illinois decision, the court struck down the use of a narcotics dog to sweep the halls of an apartment building in the middle of the night. (See People v Burns.) The court noted that that the police were not simply walking down the sidewalk when the dog happened to smell the drugs. Furthermore, there is no implicit invitation for visitors to come to defendant’s front door at that time, and thus police could not legally approach her door without a warrant.

If you are charged with a crime, contact an experienced criminal law attorney immediately. An experienced attorney can evaluate your case for your best possible defense. If the police search was illegal, an attorney can bring a motion asking the judge to suppress the results of the search. Even if the police followed procedures correctly and the evidence against you is overwhelming, an attorney who is respected in the courthouse may be able to negotiate a better plea agreement then you could on your own.

If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.

Monday, May 4, 2015

You were walking in the forest preserve, when that coffee you drank ran right through you. As it turns out, the preserve is a cruising area, which you may or may not have known. You start to unzip, thinking you are unobserved, when an undercover officer spots you.

Now you are charged with public indecency. What can you do?

In Illinois, the crime of public indecency (720 ILCS 5/11-30) applies to persons over the age of 17 who perform in a public place a sexual act or a lewd exposure of a body part with intent to arouse. A public place is defined as anywhere that someone would reasonably expect to be observed.

Public indecency is a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail or a $2,500 fine. Repeated exposures or exposure within 500 feet of a school when children are present can upgrade the charge to a Class 4 felony, punishable by 1 to 3 years in prison.

Public urination is not considered public indecency under state law. However, some municipalities such as Chicago have specific ordinances concerning such conduct.

If you are charged with public indecency, do not try to explain yourself to the police. What you think is a reasonable explanation may give the prosecutor the evidence needed to convict you. Contact an experienced criminal law attorney immediately. As with most crimes, the prosecution must prove each element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. An attorney can review your case for your best possible defense. Can the police really prove your intent was sexual? Were you really in a public place?

Even if the evidence against you is overwhelming, an attorney who is respected in the courthouse may be able to negotiate a more favorable plea agreement than you could on your own.

If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.

And "SEARCH AND SEIZURE," "MOTIONS AND DEFENSES" and "EVIDENTIARY MATTERS GENERALLY."

About Me

A criminal and school law attorney with over 20 years of experience, I have successfully represented clients all over the Chicago area. My practice includes DUI, felony, criminal, misdemeanor, homicide, internet crime, retail theft, traffic offenses, cyberstalking, drug or narcotics crimes such as drug possession or drug dealing, weapons violations, domestic battery and juvenile crime. I also represent families involving school cases. My clients come from all over the Chicago area including Skokie, Wilmette, Niles, Northbrook, Glenview, Evanston, Winnetka, Highland park, Northfield, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Mount Prospect.
I am a member of the ACLU, Illinois State Bar Association.
Se habla espanol.
CONTACT ME: 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com

"Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't: Behaving at a DUI Stop," by Art Buono. Sept. 20, 2011.

"Time to Shock Schools into Deploying Difibrillators," by Art Buono. November 3, 2011."Anti-Bullying Law Not Enough," November 16, 2011,

PUBLIC APPEARANCES:

November 15, 2012: Presenter: "Student Discipline: The Expulsion Hearing Games" as part of the Illinois State Bar Association continuing legal education course: The Student and Parent Side of School Law Issues.